Shortness of breath and anxiety: causes, treatment, breathing and more!

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Jennifer Sherman

General considerations about breathlessness and anxiety

If you suffer from anxiety attacks, you know how hell it is to be in a crisis and not be able to control your thoughts or what you're feeling at that moment. For this reason, check out the differences and reasons for breathlessness and anxiety below.

Anxiety is one of the evils of the century, along with other diseases such as depression, Burnout Syndrome, Panic Syndrome, obesity and other diseases that if left untreated, can lead to death. However, today we have several proven forms of treatment and if followed correctly are the salvation of some lives.

Mental health is also very important and should have the same attention to physical health, because a healthy body and mind is the combination that we must have for a good and quiet life. Before the events in the world and the rush of everyday life, the care of the body and mind are left behind, and that unfortunately with the passage of time, we are charged.

Shortness of breath, anxiety and when to worry

Any different sign in the body is a reason to worry. Therefore, shortness of breath and anxiety are similar symptoms, but they are not always simple causes.

When should I worry about shortness of breath

Some situations are even common in which there is a loss of breath, but when this becomes very common in simple everyday situations, then it is necessary to have a more attentive look at the signals that the body is giving.

Excessive worry and too much brain activity when lying down to sleep can be one of the conditions for anxiety attack. Situations such as taking a light walk, climbing the stairs at home less than five steps, or even lying down to sleep and feeling discomfort when breathing is something to be concerned about.

Abnormal chest pain, difficulty breathing, racing heart and even shortness of breath are signs that something is not right and that you should see a doctor. These symptoms could be the beginning of an anxiety or panic attack. Depending on the circumstances, it could be another illness that you have and do not know about.

The relationship between breathlessness and anxiety

In general, when one is having an anxiety crisis, the body tries to find some way to fight that action that is happening there. With that, the body seeks in physical and psychological ways a defense.

One explanation for feeling some reactions during a crisis is that your heart rate increases, which causes blood to move quickly to the organs. This force speeds up breathing, which usually becomes short and very difficult to get air into the lungs due to the state of despair.

In addition to shortness of breath, not feeling your body limbs, diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, stomach pain and chest pain are common. Together, they can indicate an anxiety crisis, and definitely go out in search of a professional who can help you ease the symptoms and evaluation to really know what is going on.

How to know if the source is anxiety

First of all, the first thing to do is to seek a doctor, either in a mild discomfort or in more serious cases. Anxiety has symptoms similar to several other diseases, but only the evaluation of a qualified professional to determine the best treatment.

However, at first it can be a little difficult to understand about the symptoms at the very first times. That is why it is important to seek a professional. Some symptoms can be confusing and due to the stress of the situation, they can get worse.

Symptoms of anxiety

The symptoms of anxiety are several and it is considerable that every sign that your body manifests is observed. Check below some symptoms that may appear in your body during an anxiety crisis.

Disconnected thoughts

During an anxiety crisis, in which the fear of losing control and going crazy gain space, random thoughts and in large quantities, come over the mind of those who are going through this situation. And because of this, phrases and thoughts that make no sense at all may appear.

The thoughts can be everyday situations - a simple situation that has happened or might happen becomes a torture in the anxious person's head. Thus, it is difficult to organize the speed and amount of thoughts that are generated.

Thoughts of a negative nature

The thoughts can be about various things, including negative thoughts of situations that have not happened, but which bring suffering and much imagination about something that has not yet materialized. In this way, anxiety and stress increase.

Therefore, alternative medicines, yoga, meditation are some suggestions to ease and improve the quality of thoughts. And of course, the search for a better health and life.

Stressful and high-pressure situations in the present

The rush of everyday life is one of the biggest causes of mental diseases today. Therefore, factors such as stress, poor diet, unregulated sleep and conflicts in relationships are causers of these diseases, which over time, can worsen if not treated correctly.

One observation that is important to make is that certain stressful situations should be avoided if you suffer from anxiety and other types of mental illnesses. And as a result, you get a more balanced life.

Panic

As the name itself characterizes it, panic is a sensation, anguishing feeling of not having control over certain simple situations, and irrational fear about certain events, making the person unable to think clearly, nor rationally.

Panic syndrome has characteristics similar to anxiety attacks, and shortness of breath is one of them. Depression, still following as one of the diseases that most affects the world, is responsible for panic attacks and other diseases, always remembering the need for a professional evaluation.

How to treat shortness of breath caused by anxiety

Below we will show you some ways that can help you how to treat shortness of breath caused by anxiety and what to do in these moments.

Diaphragmatic breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing is a great ally for those who suffer with anxiety, you can practice it every day when you wake up or when you sleep. It is called breathing technique through the abdomen, because the concentration is on the diaphragm breathing up and down as you breathe.

Mindfulness

The Mindfulness practice, or full attention, is as the meaning says, a practice that consists of concentration in the moment. The goal is attention on all the movements and situations around, without distractions to experience the complete moment. This task is totally focused on connecting thoughts along with action, teaching the organization of the mind.

Deep breathing

Some simple techniques like deep breathing also have their results and can be of great help in a moment of despair, and as obvious as it may seem, only with breathing will it be possible to improve shortness of breath. So, in moments of crisis, stop, close your eyes and breathe deeply, until you calm down.

How to treat anxiety

Whenever we present different symptoms than normal in our body, we seek help from a professional for an evaluation and diagnosis. With mental health is no different, we only pay attention to our physical body and forget about our minds.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy can be characterized as the forms of treatment that are discovered in therapy sessions. In these sessions, various processes are done, in which it is possible to know where the triggers that cause the crises come from. And of course, the best way to ease the symptoms, when they appear.

The consultations have no estimated time, they can last months or years, it will depend on how is your process of acceptance and improvement with the treatments. About the best treatment, this will be according to the professional who follows each case.

The situation is very difficult, including when it comes to anxiety, but let the professional deduce the best way your treatment will be much easier. So, follow the guidelines, exercises and instructions that the professional passes and be patient, because the crises will not disappear overnight, but believe in the treatment that you will do.

Antidepressants

Antidepressants are drugs that help in the treatment of certain mental diseases, whose symptoms are anguish, fear, lack of motivation, insomnia and several others. They have the function of acting in the brain and modify certain areas of the nervous system, balancing the mood when very affected.

Antidepressants do not cause dependency, since they serve as regulators of depressive symptoms, unlike psychostimulant drugs, which have no therapeutic effect and cause dependency. The effects of the drugs may vary, but in general they take about two weeks to start working and should always be monitored by the doctor.

Anxiolytics

Anxiolytics are medicines exclusively for those who suffer from anxiety, stress and the like. They can be found in natural forms and chemical processes. They require a doctor's prescription since you can get side effects.

In addition, the prejudice against medicines for mental illnesses is still very large. The lack of information and fear leads patients who need medicines not to seek for fear of addiction, but it does not work that way. All prescribed medicine, including the amount, is according to their needs and informed in the delivery of the evaluation and prescription.

Natural remedies

Also called natural anxiolytics, soothing natural teas like chamomile, valerian and others, foods like cheese and bananas, and herbal or homeopathic medicines are considered natural remedies for anxiety.

Exactly because of what was mentioned above, the industry decided to expand the search for substances created in laboratories for natural ingredients, logically according to the need of each patient and each case.

The possible causes of anxiety

Some causes may be responsible for increased anxiety and should not be left aside, it is important to observe the routine and the impacts on day to day. In the following text, understand what may be a trigger or a cause for anxiety to be persistent.

Biologicals

The brain is responsible for some biological factors such as the balance of emotions. A good functioning allows you to have a peaceful and stabilized life. One of the simple examples is that a good performance of the brain guarantees you restorative sleep nights, hunger, energy, sexual interest among others.

However, the lack of chemical components in the brain can cause the mental illnesses that we know, generating an imbalance. And so, difficulties appear to face adverse life situations.

Some causes such as alcohol and drug consumption; hormonal changes such as postpartum depression; menopause, side effects of medications and others, are responsible for the imbalance.

Environmental

The rush and need for perfection that we live in today is the ideal environment to forget to take care of health and diseases with less physical symptoms at first appear. This is because sometimes we go through certain situations in life and we do not take the time to breathe and absorb the event. In this way, we overload the body.

So, day to day events, in relationships, at work or at home can mess with our emotional in a very aggressive way. So, it is in these cases that we begin to feel the effects as stress, demotivation, insignificant, without control of the situation, and may result in physical pain, which also cause great emotional impact.

Therefore, radical changes always cause changes in the emotional, including other internal factors, such as loss of loved ones during the early years, the absence of parents, sexual and mental violence. These are factors that can cause depressive and anxiety pictures.

Psychological

As mentioned above, traumas suffered in childhood can and are most often the explanation for disorders when they reach older age. As much as depression does not have a certain age to appear, and does not choose race, sex, color and gender, sudden changes are apparently the link for the appearance of anxiety and depression.

However, not only changes are reasons. There are many others that exist and are interconnected to find the origin of the disease. Thus, losses are also very observed, whether of relatives, relationships, separation of parents and several others.

What are the most common symptoms of an anxiety attack, besides shortness of breath?

The most common symptoms of an anxiety attack are several, shortness of breath is one of the first reports, due to panic and shortness of breath, making it difficult for air to pass through the lungs.

Besides it, there are others such as: tremors; headaches; chills, irrational fear, sensation of loss of movements, tingling; dry mouth; sweating; mental confusion and several others.

In addition to these symptoms, the pain in the body after an unexplained anxiety attack - it feels like you've done a series of workouts at the gym or gotten into an MMA fight.

Therefore, it is extremely important to seek a doctor for evaluation and diagnosis of symptoms that are not normal. The disease of the century still continues and the importance of care not only with physical health, but also with mental health is a serious thing.

Thus, self-care and the search for help is of fundamental importance, it can prevent worsening of depression and anxiety and improve the lives of those who suffer. And always remembering, never self-medicate without the advice of a specialist.

As an expert in the field of dreams, spirituality and esotericism, I am dedicated to helping others find the meaning in their dreams. Dreams are a powerful tool for understanding our subconscious minds and can offer valuable insights into our daily lives. My own journey into the world of dreams and spirituality began over 20 years ago, and since then I have studied extensively in these areas. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge with others and helping them to connect with their spiritual selves.